Will the total solar eclipse change Indiana’s voter registration deadline?
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — While all eyes will be on the skies April 8 for the total solar eclipse, Indiana residents should also look to their voter registration.
The deadline to register to vote in Indiana’s upcoming primary is the same day as the solar eclipse that will shadow most of the state. Many county offices will be closed Monday in anticipation of the event, according to a March newsletter from the Indiana Election Division, but exceptions may extend the deadline for some voters.
“This isn’t just a special day for space enthusiasts,” the newsletter said.
If a county office is closed on the deadline date, the in-person application deadline is extended to noon the following day, according to state law. That means Hoosiers have until Tuesday, April 9 at noon to register to vote if their county office was closed Monday due to the eclipse.
If a county office is open on the day of the eclipse, the deadline to register in person is not extended, and residents must submit their applications by the end of the office’s business day. Indiana residents are encouraged to check with their county for operation hours.
Angela Nussmeyer, co-director of the election division, said the office does not have a count of how many counties may have modified hours due to the eclipse.
While the deadline for in-person voter registration may be moved, the deadline to register online remains the same. Hoosiers must submit online applications by 11:59 p.m. Monday in order to register for the upcoming primary.
All of Indiana will at least see a partial eclipse, and the 115-mile-wide (185-kilometer-wide) path of totality will cross a large swath of central and southern Indiana. Cities in the path of totality include Terre Haute, Indianapolis, Bloomington and Muncie. The celestial event is expected to drive significant tourism to the state
The election division newsletter noted that regardless of whether a county is closed for “eclipse day,” early voting is not delayed and will start Tuesday with the opening of a county office.
Indiana’s primary election is May 7.